The Green Schools Platform - Advocacy, Eco-education and Support for Sustainable Schools

Description

The project entitled The Green Schools Platform aims to concentrate the efforts of civil society in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development in order to establish a model of formal and non-formal environmental education. This approach is intended to respond to a deficit of basic information and experiential learning among Romanians that prevents them from getting involved as active citizens in environmental issues. The project targets secondary school teachers interested in including an optional course on environmental education within the school-based curriculum, assisting them with an advocacy campaign and a support platform with on-line tools. The model of environmental education including a comprehensive digital educational kit will be promoted initially by 100 teachers from 6 counties. 30 schools and 2,400 students will test the components of the educational kit before establishing a final version. The multiplying mechanisms that include local training, networking and promotion of best practices through the website and social networks are designed to ensure national dissemination of the proposed educational model.

Summary of project results

The Green Schools Platform project was implemented within a context where public discourse puts fast economic growth above the natural resources preservation. The project has successfully brought the views of the civil society environmental organizations into Romanian school curriculum by promoting an innovative educational approach. It was a different approach, not only by focusing on a different topic – environmental sustainability - but also by being friendly, packed with outdoor activities, inclusive, adaptable to specific backgrounds, tolerant, modern and sustainable. During the school year 2015-2016, the optional course Eco Education for Green Schools was taught in 41 schools, by 47 teachers to secondary school students (75 classrooms) from Bucharest and 6 other counties in Romania. An educational formula was developed based on experiential learning techniques, developing all the necessary educational materials: the Student’s Handbook, the Green Textbook (a collection of outdoor and practical activities), the Teacher’s Guide and the Course outline. These materials were piloted during their development with over 5000 students, by teachers that got assistance from the project team. Greenitiative's advocacy efforts aimed at helping teachers attempt to change the educational system so that concepts like sustainable development gain ground among students and cause changes in their behaviour. Agreements were signed with 5 county school inspectorates and with 12 local NGO’s. Also, Greenitiative participated in a consultation process launched by the Ministry for Civic Consultation and Dialogue and the Ministry of Education. A process with the Ministry of Environmental Protection was initiated that will eventually allow the introduction of environmental education in the national school curriculum. The online platform - http://www.scoliverzi.ro/ - allowed the association to have a national reach, almost 500 teachers from 40 counties being enrolled in the Platform and thus having access to the educational materials. The project team have promoted best practices and highlighted teachers’ work through short films that have had a high impact and have contributed greatly to the sustainability of the project.

Summary of bilateral results